


Dishonorable Duck

by AlexFanAnne



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), Disney Duck Universe, DuckTales (Cartoon 1987), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26626108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexFanAnne/pseuds/AlexFanAnne
Summary: How did Donald's Navy experience fit in the world of DT17? What was his life like before the kids? What was Della's?Kinda goes into some other things, and if you're expecting me not to hint a bunch of things that end up hurting your heart (or, they at least hurt mine) boy golly do you have a surprise coming your wayIt's not overall super sad, but it has its moments ofc.And yes, Donald was in the Navy, Della was in the airforce, Launchpad was a S.H.U.S.H. Agent. What else could you expect from me?
Relationships: Della Duck & Selene, José Carioca/Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was made for a friend who also enjoys Ducktales (who may or may not be Azi) 
> 
> They helped me develop this a LOT, very glad to have made them watch Ducktales at my house as often as possible. 
> 
> I hope that they like it!  
> And hope you do too :)
> 
> I swear I'm trying to make this fun but breaking your heartstrings is kinda also a goal. Whoops.
> 
> Yeah, also, forgot to mention, I did in fact watch the old ducktales and I know he wasn't actually good, that he stretched what was happening and his luck was utter shit so he kept almost dying... But donald duck was originally high in his rankings and while I didn't have nearly enough years before the kids were born or , you know, a relevant war to use for it, I did want to convey his as skilled because he was supposed to be. 
> 
> And another thing, I grew up in a military family, but I know nothing about the air force, like, at all, so Della's shit might not make a ton of sense idk but hopefully you are here for ducks and not the "historically and currently accurate military life" because uh...yeah

Donald woke up and immediately got to work. He was finally used to the repetition of militarian work, doing almost the same things every day. Donald was sort of at odds with his ranking - while he wasn't very high up in the chain of command, he was well trusted. Donald could see many angles of a situation, and use them quickly. He had also never been completely broken - during his psych-eval, he got quite a few answers "wrong". Like, for instance, when he was asked if he'd murder an enemy child, he couldn't even lie to the evaluator. 

"Well, of course not! Are you crazy!?"

"Your job, Duck, is to follow orders. Can you or can you not do that?" the evaluator asked, pushing up his glasses and leaning forward. 

"Not the wrong ones." Donald said, red in the face and danger in his expression. "I'd have to problem solve. Not be senseless. We can do things by the book, we just have to keep some morals in mind."

The evaluator's lips twitched, not quite a smile, not quite a frown, and he jotted some notes down. 

Later that day, Admiral Grimmitz asked him about some of his answers. But even he knew not to fight with Donald when his expression was one of wild anger. 

"I never said I wouldn't listen-"

"But your answers did. You can't afford to doubt these things in a time of crisis, Mr. Duck. I-" He tried to find a way to articulate his point. "You'd make a good soldier. Like your father was. But not if you cant follow such basic orders." He took his hand off Donald's shoulder, and turned to walk away.

"I thought we were supposed to help people? I thought that we were saving civilians and going beyond. But that, senseless murder? I won't do it. You'll discharge me first." 

Grimmitz continued walking.

Any other cadet, and they'd be sent home. But, (Donald figured it was probably due to multiple big figures in Donald's family), he stayed. 

In the tasks assigned, Donald never wavered. He handled them all and a bit more, being asked to help approve plans. 

Admiral Grimmitz, though unlikely to ever admit it, took a liking to Donald.

When Donald went on to become a First Class Sergeant, no one was surprised, except for his uncle Scrooge. 

"I cannae understand why you sent me a picture of your admiral with the last postcard. Are you sure you're alright, lad?" Scrooge asked him once on a surprise visit.

"Are you kidding? Admiral Grimmitz acts, well, kinda like you. He's kept me sane with the workload, reminding me of home."

"Or, and forgive me boy if this is a bit much, you could, I don't know... Stay home? It's not that I'm not proud of you-"

"Aw, come on Uncle Scrooge! Why don't you give me a break, maybe give Della this spiel?" Donald asked, slightly saddened by the reoccurring topic. "...I actually was promoted recently. I'm a First Class Sergeant now." Donald was smiling at his feet.

"And that's a very good thing, and I'm proud but... You know I worry about you. That's all." Scrooge said with a sigh, putting his hands on Donald's shoulders.

"And again, you don't do this to Della. Why not?" Donald asked.

"I don't worry about your sister that much. She's got such a free spirit, me saying a word to her would only encourage her to do the opposite. But you... I've always had this fear of losing you, if you must know. I don't say that easily, either, you know." Scrooge said sincerely.

"Losing me? Ha! I'm not sure I can be lost. You've seen how bad my luck is, and I'm still kicking!" Donald said. "I promise you, Uncle Scrooge. I'm going to be careful. I follow the rules. And plus, I have more good news... I'm going to be stationed in Cape Suzette for a good while, meaning I can come visit next time Della does! We can all see each other!"

Scrooge smiled warmly. "I cannae wait to see you both. It's been too long, lad." 

When Donald sent his next flood of postcards to Della and Scrooge, he thought about sending some to some of his old friends. Of course, he hadn't spoken to them in years, not since he was first enlisted, but... Panchito and Jose were so proud of him the day they saw him in his uniform. Donald knew that things were... albeit a bit different, but, was that really so bad?

"At least a postcard will let them know I'm alive! What's the harm?" Donald said to himself when he made his decision.

He didn't know that a few post cards would result in them being there the next time he saw Scrooge and Della, and them being back in his life again. 

"Uncle Scroooge!? Delllla? Are you guys-" the lights were all out. Donald could smell something sweet, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Surprise!!" Della embraced Donald, a little too loudly and quickly, causing him to flinch in her embrace. 

"Whoa.. Ah, I'm uh, I'm sorry Donald. I shouldn't have-" 

"Don't worry, Della, I'm perfectly fine. You didn't do anything-"

Donald looked up past Della and thought he saw two ghosts. 

"Wak!"

"Well, hello to you too, Donal'. Always had such a way with words." Jose said smoothly, leaning on his umbrella. 

"Jose! Spare the man a little kindness, hm? You're speaking to a Navy Sergeant! Congratulations, Donald!" Panchito said, before slowly embracing Donald in a welcomed hug. 

"You guys! Come here Jose!" Donald said, reach an arm around the other man. "It's been so long! I- did you guys come here just because of my lame postcards?"

"Your postcards were not lame. I... mmm, I forget the word. I mean to say, they warmed my heart. I was happy to hear all about how you were, almost as happy as I am to see you now!" Jose said, slipping out of the loose hug.

"I, too, enjoyed the postcard. It was very nice to hear that you were doing so well so quickly! Time has really escaped the three of us, huh?" Panchito said. "But, we did not come empty handed! We have gifts, for you and Della! Come on!" 

That day was full of smiles and presents and laughter. When Donald slipped outside with Jose and Panchito, it was also full of hugs and tears and songs. 

Before Panchito and Jose had to leave, Donald kissed them both. He didn't really think much of it- He wouldn't see them for a while, or anything, but he just wanted them to know he'd miss them. 

Jose understood this sentiment a bit more than Panchito. Panchito stood, confused. 

"Why did you kiss me, Donald?" Panchito asked, a bit more confusion than intended. "Trying to lead me on before you leave?"

"No, Panchito. I just - I missed you both so much! I know my words get misunderstood, so, I tried to explain it a little differently. That's all. I really love you two, you chaotic wrecks!" 

"We're the chaotic wrecks? You just kissed not one but two guys, Sergeant." Jose joked. "If your admiral saw you now-"

"Jose-" Panchito tried to cut him off.

"Oh boy. I... I forgot about that." Donald said, head in his hands.

"Well, it's not as if we'll rat you out" Panchito said with a smile. "That is, if you promise us another."

"Sure, but... Does that mean I'm doing the wrong thing? I mean... I don't ever want to hide the fact that I care about you two... And so many others like me have to... and..." 

"Donal'. Stop this dangerous thinking. I mean, what are you even saying?" Jose asked.

"I'm saying... Maybe I should come home, like Scrooge said. I have to hide who I am, or be honest and dischar-"

"NO, Donald! You will not throw away your dreams of the sea! You've wanted this before the Three Caballeros were even formed! I will not let you be discharged because of me!" Panchito said.

"Panchito is right, Donald. You need to go back to Cape Suzette. We appreciate your work, you know this." Jose said with a soft smile.

"But you are going to send us more postcards and letters. I enjoyed those." Panchito told him.

"Okay, okay, you guys win. And of course Panchito, I couldn't forget to send those! I love you guys, and I'm going to miss you."

"And us you, Donald." Panchito said, taking Donald's right hand while Jose kissed his left. 

Donald kept his promises, giving them each one last kiss before they left, though these were much different than the chaste ones from before, and left Donald all kinds of red from embarrassment, which the two only found much more endearing. 

He also sent them post cards whenever he had the chance. 

When his and Della's birthday rolled around, the Caballeros and other various friends of theirs were in attendance. Della spent most of her time with Selene, who she also hadn't seen much of after being enlisted in the Air Force. 

When things quieted down and it was just Scrooge and the twins (Panchito and Jose passed out, cuddled slightly on the couch and Selene had been resting on the arm chair, presumed asleep, but it was difficult to tell, especially from a Goddess.) Della had shifted the tone of the day.

"Now Scrooge, Donald. I need you to both listen and not say anything until I finish talking, okay? Can you promise me that?" 

Donald nodded, and looked to Scrooge. "Now lass-"

"No Scrooge. Promise?" Della tried again.

"Oh, alright. What is it?"

"I'm going to be coming home. It was a bit of a tough decision, but when it came down to it, there really wasn't much of one to make." She eyed Donald whose face looked very confused overall, and Scrooge's (probably knowing) one. 

"I'm going to be a mother?" Della tried for explanation, but it came out as a question, before her tears started.

"Wak! Della! That's- I- wow!" Donald paused for a moment. "But. does that mean -"

"I've been given an honorable discharge. The official papers went through today. But, before you say anything, know that this was probably going to happen anyway! I mean, I didn't get to fly half as much as I wanted and fixing planes wasn't really my thing, and General McQuack-"

"Lass." Scrooge said, eyes watering, threatening to fog his bifocals. "We understand. I'm... I'm glad you made a decision you're proud of, and I can't say I won't be glad to have you around more, to know you're safe." 

"Uncle Scrooge..." Della said, sniffling a bit.

"Della... I don't... I don't want to pry, honestly, and you can say no, but-"

"Never once help back with questions, Donald."

"Sorry..." 

"No, it's fine, Donald... I... You guys deserve to know, and I swear we'll discuss it. But right now, I just... I just needed to tell you about this. Is that good enough?" Della asked.

"It's more than. Perfect, even." Scrooge said.

Donald got up and hugged her, and they didn't part so much as they moved to more comfortable furniture before passing out together. 

"Those two. Always were inseparable. Reminds me of our days of adventure, heh." Scrooge put a blanket over the two of them while the ridiculous movie Della had put on played almost silently in the background. "Good night."


	2. Della Dwells on Discharge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Della chapter
> 
> What went down right before she visited and broke the news on her birthday.
> 
> And yes. Ripcord. Because. I like him.

General McQuack wasn't happy to see his favorite cadet leaving, but he was definitely not shocked. He himself knew he'd be quitting soon and heading towards retirement -his youngest son was 20 years old, wherever he was. He needed to get back, if not for his kids, for his wife who'd recently retired as well. 

He certainly wasn't giving up flying, by any means. And he knew Della wouldn't either.

Della would throw such fits when it wasn't her on the call sheets for his projects, but he couldn't get her to do it everytime. Their last real project was a simple fly over, just to protect a Navy ship. That he may have known her twin brother was working on. So, he couldn't really say no to her- Donald was her favorite person in the world. He'd endured quite a few stories and remarks about what he'd say about the condition of "new" parts, or the regulations that weren't really administered properly, or anything that reminded her of him.

Della was very skilled at many tasks. Of course, she'd say her best talent was her piloting- but her General knew it really wasn't. Of course, she was a fantastic pilot, but whenever they went to help out the Navy or to help with specific rescue missions, Della would take charge immediately. She understood the situation well and acted fast. The emotional parts, like watching kids suffer or actively understanding what these people experienced was a bit lost on her. She wasn't heartless, and she definitely felt for these terrible situations, but... There were things she just... wasn't the best for.

This did not improve when she was suddenly sick and irritable. She became homesick very quickly, in the span of the two week period after moving from the Navy protection to a quick rescue. It wouldn't have been on them, really, if they weren't already near Cape Suzette. 

McQuack knew she was pregnant maybe before Della did, and had stopped giving her tasks, which throughly pissed her off.

"Permission to speak freely?" Della asked.

"You'll do it regardless, Duck. What is it?"

"Why are you taking me off assignment? This was our project and you know it." Della demanded.

"Della, I'm-"

"And you think you're teaching me some lesson, or something, because you're soooo wise. Is that it?" Della continued.

"No, Della-"

"And you're giving assignments to my cousin, it's like you're spitting in my coffee or something."

"Would you just-"

"What did I even do, Ripcord? What did I do? Did I do something wrong? Why do I feel so sick? I mean, why are you taking me off assignment?" Della rambled on in an insane fashion, crazier than her normal.

He finally placed his hands on her shoulders and got her to stop pacing.

"Della! What are you going on about? You sound... Well, psychotic! What's going on?" 

Della sighed."Something just isn't right. I feel terrible, like, all the time, and I just- I thought it was this? I feel like I'm just swinging and missing though, and I shouldn't have spoken so out of turn. I'm sorry." Della said. 

"Della... Why don't you go have an evaluation? I think that would help put your mind at ease. 'Pending on good results, I'll put you back on assignment. Is that good enough for you?" He asked her.

"No, no, I don't want that. I mean, now it just sounds like pity or me asking, and I just know that Jackson is going to have a field day with that one." Della said, rolling her eyes and making a big show with her hands. McQuack just laughed for what felt like an entire minute. "Hey, what's so funny, huh?"

"I know I've said this to you before, but sometimes you just... remind me of home. Sometimes my daughter, with how animated you get, sometimes my son..." He saddened visibly for a moment, and Della knew.

"Hey... You should go see them soon. They'd probably love that." Della suggested.

"I will be going home soon. Permanently, in fact."

"Wait, you're leaving? Why?" Della asked, standing up in one quick movement.

"Well, don't act so surprised! I'm almost 60, Della, it's about time I retire." 

"I don't want to stick around this dump if you're just going to leave!" Della said.

"Hm, well, I certainly can't take all the credit. Your skills in fixing planes alone speak for themselves." Ripcord said, laughing almost immediately at Della's response.

"Well maybe if you'd put me in tasks I want to be in and can do better than anyone else, I wouldn't have had to make such a show with model #1698!" 

The two of them burst out laughing, remembering the absolute wreck of a plane that model became. And how absolutely furious the other cadets became when the workload was doubled due to being severely behind. They didn't try to make Della work below sector C after that, especially not when she was such a damned good pilot. Running flight tests truly was where she belonged, if anywhere.

"Go get checked out. We will continue this conversation when we're both sure you're well. And I might just have to have a little talk with Jackson, apparently?" McQuack asked.

"Yeah, you try that. It's just talking to a wall." Della went on. "Plus, you're right. I shouldn't be acting so childish with the rebuild crew, but I just... It's just so monotone. I guess I didn't really know what I was signing up for. I mean, I'm used to piloting my family around the unknown! Not... "doing things by the book" so poorly and knowing the difference between each and every new model we come by. And don't get me started on the equipment they call "new", because I feel the meaning of the word is lost when it's already broken when it gets here. But honestly... I think I just miss my family." 

"I understand the feeling too well. I used to be a lot like you when I was your age. Flying has always been important to me, and to previous family members before me. But when it comes to the technical aspect, I used to just be so bored with it. But to really enjoy something, you have to understand what it's made of." General McQuack started. "And with your family...Not seeing your family is part of the norm here, and that, it's just... hard. I know I'm constantly worried about mine." He paused for a moment. "I hope this is meaning something to you. I haven't had to give one of these speeches since I last saw my son. But even then, he wouldn't listen."

"No, no, General, I do care about these speeches. In a way, it's kinda like my uncle. I appreciate the wisedom, truly, but... Well, I am kinda hung up on your son not listening. That doesn't sound like what you've always told me about him. And you're going home, is he going to be a part of that?" Della asked.

"You've never been this inquisitive about my kids before. Is there a reason?" he asked. When Della just shook her head and remained quiet he continued. "My son was very hard on himself. He... Well, he's trying to make me proud, but, he didn't need to try. I already was. I think that's what you and your brother were doing when you both enlisted. And, well, correct me if I'm wrong here, but it's not engaging you enough. You're just getting bored now. If you ask me... leaving isn't the worst thing you could do. I don't know if you'd be happy like this, and I think that's really what's most important." 

"General, I-" Della started. "I don't know how to say this, but, I already had an evaluation earlier. I'm... experiencing morning sickness." Della looked at her feet, hoping that counted as confession enough.

"Oh, well, that's great news!" Della just looked at him. "O-Obviously not the sick part, but that means-"

"Yeah."

"So, have you come up with your, uh, plan? I mean, of course you have time to make such a big decision, I don't mean to stress you there- have you spoken to a counselor?" 

"No, I'm still... Still doing that. That's why I came here to talk with you. You helped me a lot with other big decisions, and you do keep me sane. Even when I'm hellbent on denial here." Della explained.

"You want my advice?" McQuack asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Go home. I think it's the best outcome. And I think if you do that, your brother will probably follow suit." General McQuack said.

"No,no, I don't want to pressure him into leaving. He cares a lot about the work he's doing. I'd just settle for seeing him." Della said. "I'm going to make my decision within the week, before my birthday, when I'll be visiting home. That way, I can announce the news to them. But yeah, I think that leaving is my best option here, too." 

"Whatever it is you choose to do, I'm proud of you, Della." He sat up, dusted his knees, and turned to her. "Get some sleep. Talk to a counselor tomorrow." He walked out to the doorway, before pausing. 

"Oh, and Happy-early-Birthday, Della." And with that, he was gone.


End file.
